Worthy
by MistressOfRobins
Summary: Many teenagers, both boys and girls, experience the trials of overprotective dads when they fall in love. Robin is one of those teenagers, but his situation is slightly harder. His father is The Batman. KFxRobin. Slash.


**Disclaimer: **Young Justice © DC

**Pairing:** Kid Flash/Robin (Wally West/Dick Grayson)

* * *

**- Worthy -**

-0-

**Happy Harbor, 2011  
June 20, 23:25 EDT**

Fireworks; it exploded beautifully across the sky, colours and noise filling up the dark. To be honest, Dick, or Robin as generally called, would have preferred the sky to stay dark with only the light from the stars. The dark was safe to him, far more than the light ever could be. Of course, he held nothing against fireworks. It was beautiful and everything with the situation he was in would have been absolutely perfect for him, if it had not been for a little detail – or more like a major detail.

Throwing a quick glance to his side, Robin studied the other boy beside him. The, now sixteen-year-old, Wally West, known mostly as Kid Flash, was studying the sky with expressionless, green eyes. The red haired teen hadn't said anything in a while, which would have been a huge shocker to those who knew him. He would have at _least_ come up with some kind of meaningless comment through their Ferris wheel ride, but no, the speedster had kept silent – much to his best friend's worry.

Dick directed his gaze away from Wally again and slowly reached out to the touch the window of the capsule they were in. Their ride was with one of the rather big Ferris wheels, where the tour was long and the space inside each capsule was big and comfy. Secretly, both young superheroes were grateful for just that. Despite the obvious difficulties it brought with, they wanted to be alone – just the two of them.

While Dick let his fingers linger over the glass very slowly, it was Wally's turn to look at the other. Unlike, the younger teen he couldn't let the silence remain any longer though. "Dude, we need to talk," he said, far more serious than _the_ Kid Flash should really allow himself to be. He wasn't a serious person – far from it actually, he was the opposite. Yet, this situation called for him to be.

With a sigh, Dick turned his head and looked at his best friend with eyes that were covered by his infamous sunglasses. Knowing he had the Boy Wonder's attention, Wally continued. "We both know what we want, so why can't you just tell me why we're not… you know…" the speedster paused and fixed his eyes down to his shoes. "…_ together_."

Together.

If only Wally knew how much Dick really wanted them to be – because he did, a _lot_. However, there were certain problems and those problems weren't something they could just solve easily. Not that the usual problems they tended to face were. Actually, it was more than a little common that the two superheroes had difficult issues to handle. But that was different – right now, they weren't really Robin and Kid Flash. Right now, they were Wally West and Dick Grayson, not superheroes.

Slowly, Dick raised himself from the bench across from where Wally was sitting. To the redhead's surprise, he was soon seated beside him. The speedster would have preferred to have the other boy closer, but it was still an improvement. A big one at that.

"I've told you we… we just _can't_," the Boy Wonder finally said, his voice so low that it was more like a whisper. "It's not that… It's not that I don't want to. You know I do, but it's impossible."

Wally frowned deeply. "Dude, then at least give me an explanation here! I'm not as immature as you think. I won't go on and on about what we should be if you'd just given me a _reason_. Come on, Rob, you expect me to just give up when all you say is: _we just can't_? Is this because of the others?"

Dick rolled his eyes at that comment, though due to his sunglasses it was not spotted by the speedster. He wasn't worried about the other team members in the slightest. Or, more like he didn't _want_ to think about it right now. He had no energy for it, and figured that he would cross that bridge when he got there.

There was something else however. Or, rather, _someone_ else that kept Dick from leaping into this.

The problem was not to tell Wally as to why they couldn't be what they both wanted to. No, it was just that when Dick told him, nothing would be the same. Those good moments together, the very brief touches, the laughing and joking – everything they had that was something a bit _more_ than just best friend time, it wouldn't happen again. Wally would get his explanation and give up on him and Dick didn't want that. He wanted Kid Flash's attention, he _wanted_ to know what the redhead felt for him.

It was just that he _couldn't_.

A warm hand came in contact with his own and Robin's head turned abruptly. Wally's fingers curled themselves around his and then squeezed softly. "Just tell me, dude – come on. It'll hurt like hell for me but…" Wally paused and Dick felt his heart skip a beat when he looked intensely into green orbs. "… but at least I know why, Rob. I need to know."

"It's… so complicated," the dark haired boy spoke. "Frustratingly complicated."

"I might not be the most focused guy out there, Rob, but I think I'll be able keep up."

"You? I wouldn't bet on it."

"Dude!"

They shared a teasing laugh, which eased the heavy tension in the capsule. Feeling another squeeze of the taller boy's hand, Dick crossed his own line and laid his head on Wally's shoulder. "You're an idiot," he commented fondly, knowing his best friend would definitely not take it the wrong way.

"And you're so annoying."

A new load of fireworks appeared on the dark sky and Robin turned to look at them. Silently he wondered if this was a cue for him to change the subject, but smart as he was, he concluded that he'd avoided this talk for too long. After all, if he really cared as much for Wally as he claimed he had to let him go. The older male would get nothing good out of being with him. No one ever did.

"Listen, KF," Dick said, using Wally's nickname. "During this time together a lot of things has happened and I guess we can both say that our feelings are rather… deep." They shared a glance, cheeks dusted pink, before the younger of them looked away. "Problem is, I can't be the boyfriend you want me to be, all right? Heck, you're lucky if you even survive a first date with the likes of me."

Realisation hit Kid Flash rather hard and he grabbed the other boy by the shoulders, spinning Dick around so their faces were inches apart. Despite his inner protests, Robin blushed deep red. "Please, dude, _please_ tell me this is not all about _Batman_?"

Forcing the blush away, Dick looked to his side. "Maybe."

"_Dude_, what the hell has Batman told you, huh? No love life whatsoever or no _boyfriends_ whatsoever? Or is this about something else?" Wally asked, clearly surprised. He also couldn't help but feel a bit dumb. Even though Kid Flash was not exactly known for catching on as quick as he _should_, he felt that he should have been able to conclude that it was something like _this_ that kept him and Robin from being together.

"It's nothing like that!" Dick snapped, removing Wally's hands from his shoulders. He loved being close to him, he really did, but right now he was determined to defend his mentor. Batman did not keep them apart to be evil; he was just… rather protective. All right, so Dick was getting _pretty_ fed up by the way Batman refused to let anyone date him without them being… tested… you know, to see if they were worthy of him or whatever the Dark Knight had mentioned.

It was still quite frustrating, yes, but Batman's heart was in the right place.

"Then what does Bats have against you and me dating, hm?" Wally asked, crossing his arms over the white T-shirt he was wearing. The crimson jacket had been removed due to the summer heat a long time ago.

"It's just that… he's a bit, _overprotective_. He knows that to make a relationship it takes trust and I can't even reveal my secret identity to anyone, so how trustworthy am I really? Also…" Dick leaned against the bench, copying Wally's action by crossing his arms. "… he's a bit paranoid. Thinks that I'll be hurt if anyone comes _that_ close to me. He's just a _very_ overprotective party pooper."

Once again, Wally felt a bit dumb for the fact that he hadn't seen this coming. Batman was the king of paranoid. _Everyone_ in the League knew that, so why should his view on potential suitors for his protégé be any different? Even so, wasn't he sort of overreacting? After all, if there was one boy that could live up to the expectations of dating Robin it was Kid Flash! They'd known each other far longer than the Boy Wonder had known the others and he already knew the secret identity of the younger hero.

Also, there was the fact that as the nephew of the Flash, a fully respected League member, something like a breakup (which Wally could honestly not see _ever_ happening) would not cause Robin's secret identity to be revealed. Wally was a hero and though both he and Dick were young, they still had learned honour, trust and respect from their mentors. Something like a private relationship wouldn't matter when it came to their job.

Dick, knowing exactly what was going through his best friend's head at the moment, sighed. "I know what you're thinking, KF, but I really can't see him changing his mind even if I explain it all to him. He's far too_ careful_."

"But it's just not right, Rob!" The older hero exclaimed, once again grabbing the younger boy by his shoulders to pull him close to him. "Just because he's paranoid and _way_ too protective when it comes to you, he shouldn't keep you from being happy! Have you even tried to talk to him?"

"I _have_ tried," Dick murmured. "It's just that I stop myself every time… I never question him, all right? He's my mentor, he's my tutor, but most of all… he's the man who took me in and adopted me. I mean, if Flash had been so _dead set_ on something, wouldn't you have trusted that he did it because it was for your own good?"

Silence filled the capsule and Wally looked away again. His arms slipped from Dick's shoulders and instead both their hands curled together awkwardly. The warmth of the other was far too addicting to let go of. "They're our mentors, family, I get that," the redhead finally said after a long pause. "But they're not perfect. They make mistakes too, just like we do all the time. Dude, they don't know what we _feel_ right now, do they? They don't know how much… we mean to one another."

Of course they didn't. It was a limit to how much one could only observe from the outside. Dick had never told Batman he liked boys maybe a tad bit more than girls, but it had never been necessary to tell either. Just like how they operated together, they knew what to expect from the other and Batman wasn't known for his detective skills for nothing.

Sometimes Dick wondered that if he'd been with a girl the protectiveness wouldn't have been a problem. But that wasn't fair. Gender shouldn't matter, and the more he'd thought it over, the more he was growing frustrated with this entire situation. Batman knew he could defend himself – _knew_ he would be fine and could handle practically everything that was thrown at him. Heck, he'd kicked the asses of guys twice his own size.

Yet, the Dark Knight was overprotective in every way it seemed.

Dick was abruptly snapped out his thoughts when two hands cupped his cheeks. For a moment the young hero thought Wally was going to kiss him, but instead he felt his sunglasses being removed, much to his horror.

"What are you-"

The Boy Wonder was silenced by a pair of lips that pressed against his own, giving him the kiss he'd partly expected. Yet, he was shocked beyond belief. Dark-blue eyes widened and he felt warmth spread throughout his body. Despite the fact that they both knew of each other's affection and had held each other's hands more than once, they had never kissed – not _once_.

_Dick_ had not once kissed. It was his first time.

And it felt… completely and utterly right in every single way.

Even how much he knew he should pull away and tell Wally no, he just couldn't move. Those warm lips against his felt so good. Dick wanted to respond; he wanted to show Wally just how much the speedster meant to him. However, he was frozen – torn between logic and the feelings that just became harder and harder to ignore. Before he could make up his mind, Kid Flash pulled away, gazing into Robin's eyes with a tint of sadness for the lack of response.

"KF, I… I'm not sure." Dick whispered, looking away again. The sunglasses lay forgotten on the table in the middle, where the redhead had obviously put them with his fast speed, before kissing him.

"Then I'll talk to Batman."

That comment caused the younger boy's eyes to widen. Their gazes met once again and Robin could almost not believe it when he noticed the honesty in the other hero's eyes. Wally West would _talk to Batman_ for _him_? Dick didn't know whether to be touched or downright terrified of the outcome that would cause.

Still, Batman wouldn't kill Kid Flash… right?

For some reason, when it came to _him_ and _dating_, Robin could not find himself to be a hundred percent sure anymore.

"You'll really dare to talk to him about dating me? Like asking for permission?" Dick asked in disbelief.

"Anything for you, Rob."

All right, now he was definitely touched. With a quiet chuckle, the shorter of them reached out and wrapped his arms around Wally's neck. Their lips met again, but this time both boys took equally as much part in it. Wally's tongue circled Dick's; sucking and licking so much that it caused the Boy Wonder to moan. However, it was that moan that made the dark haired realise what he was doing.

Quickly, Dick pulled away from his best friend and shook his head. "Talk to Batman first," he said as an explanation as to why he had pulled away.

"All right, I will," Wally said determined, before winking playfully at the younger boy. "After all, I'm not scared of _anything_!"

* * *

**°‡°**

**Gotham City, 2011  
June 25, 21:55 EDT**

Wally was scared. No, scratch that – he was _terrified_. Why oh why hadn't he rather suggested for Dick and him to talk to Batman _together_? First off, the Boy Wonder would have been around to prevent the brooding superhero from killing him and second, Robin would have been present to voice his own opinions. Heck, it was almost guaranteed that Batman would not believe a word that he said without his protégé being there to confirm it all. Why could he never think things over?

It was a Thursday night and Kid Flash _knew_ Batman was currently in Mount Justice, probably to pick up Robin to some place since they had no missions right now. Hopefully, Dick, the guy he was unlucky (and also lucky) enough to fall in love with, was still not ready to go with Batman. That way, Wally would have the Dark Knight for himself for a couple of minutes where he would, if luck was on his side, explain the situation between him and Dick good enough for Batman to accept their more-than-friends relationship.

The redhead slowed down his speed when he reached Mount Justice. He'd just been attending a dinner party his mother had thrown together, but had successfully escaped to complete this… mission or whatever he could call it.

Dragging his breath, Wally walked through the entrance. Annoyingly enough he was such a nervous wreck that he barely registered that the computer said his name. Far too soon he was standing in the same room as Batman. The tall man turned to look at him once he entered; obviously he'd been busy with the computer.

After noticing the younger hero, Bruce Wayne turned to look at the screen again. That was, until the speedster interrupted him.

"Uhm, Batman sir…" Kid Flash cleared his throat in an attempt to hide his nervousness. Yeah like he would be able to hide anything from _Batman_. Oh heck, Wally was certain a blind, old geezer would have detected how incredibly uneasy he was at the moment. Quickly putting himself together, Wally continued his speech. "… can I talk to you for a sec or two?"

Bruce nodded his head as a reply. He was a man of few words.

"It's about Robin," Wally said, making sure to not use the Boy Wonder's true name. Even though Batman knew that his protégé's secret identity was no secret for his best friend anymore, the speedster knew he didn't like it being used at all. "And… me."

"I'm listening." Batman said curtly.

Wally felt like shrinking. The way those masked, white eyes narrowed toward him made it quite apparent that the dark man knew something Wally and Dick had not told him vocally. Typical that Batman just seemed to know a little bit of everything that was happening in their and their teammates' lives.

"Well…" Wally straightened himself up, trying to think of every amount of knowledge he had when it came to being polite, respectful and extremely humble. Those traits were necessary right now."I would like to ask for permission to… date him."

It sounded far too polite compared to how he really talked, but desperate times called for desperate measures and Kid Flash had concluded that dating Robin was worth every amount of misery his _daddy dearest_ could throw at him. If someone had told him that a year ago, he would have laughed hysterically. Back then, he was convinced that if he flirted long enough with Miss M or declared his interest for girls around him (except for Artemis – it took time to actually _like_ her as a friend), he would find the girl of his dreams.

It seemed that he had no girl of his dreams though – just a masked, protégé who had been his best friend for many years. Robin was his dream boy, apparently, and like hell he was going to give him up without doing his best to prevent them from being parted.

"So…" Batman spoke up, gaining Wally's full attention. His eyes had, automatically, turned to the ground, as if he was bowing when asking for permission to date the younger boy. Maybe he was far more polite than he had, originally, thought. "… you want to date Robin."

It was definitely a statement, _not_ a question. Which sort of creeped him out.

"Y-yes," the redhead stuttered, swallowing.

To the speedster's dread, the tall superhero began to circle him in a slow, intimidating pace. As if the darkish man didn't terrify him enough before. Now, Wally really felt frightened. However, he was a superhero (in training, but none of the members on the Team usually added that last part), and therefore he would handle this situation. Also, this was for Robin. Purely for Robin and himself, so they could be together.

"He's told you how I feel about_ him_ dating others, and general dating within a team."

It was yet another statement. It became creepier and creepier.

"Yes, he has," Wally answered, concentrating on keeping his voice steady. "He's quite upset about it. Upset that we can't be together, you know. And that's why I told him that I would talk to you and ask for permission… for him."

The last part was easy to read the hidden meaning to. Kid Flash tried his best to make it sound that he did face this creepy, masked, superior man, because Robin meant so much to him. He really doubted Batman would care much, but it was still worth a try. Everything was worth a try for this particular conversation. It was about him and Robin being able to date after all.

Batman stopped his pace behind Wally's back, reminding the younger male of those mafia movies he'd seen on television. You know, where the mafia is circling his or hers victim, while acting like they actually bother taking part in the conversation although they have made up their mind of the outcome even before it properly started. Yes, Wally concluded that he watched far too much TV in his spare time.

"Kid Flash, what makes you think I'll treat you any differently than the other people from Robin's school that has asked for permission to date him?"

So, Robin _had_ other suitors. It should have been obvious, but it wasn't before he heard it from Batman he actually believed it wasn't just something he had concluded in his own mind. Still, the young hero didn't like thinking of the fact that there _were_ others out there who had liked Robin the same way he did. Also, they had known him as Dick Grayson – not as a superhero. Meaning they had only faced Bruce Wayne. Kid Flash, however, was facing Batman, the Dark Knight and protector of Gotham City, which he found a little unfair.

Bruce was way scarier as Batman than as his real self.

"Because, I know him in and out. I know his secret identity, I'm trained for the same things he is and won't let our personal relationship get in the way of our job on the team and hopefully one day Justice League. Also, he's my best friend – I'd do anything for him, honestly."

Wally really wished he could say he was confident after that brief speech, but he wasn't. With Batman one just never knew. However, what else could he do? If this was going to work he had to be completely and utterly honest. The great detective of Gotham would not even _consider_ him worthy of dating his protégé if not.

Silence filled The Cave and Kid Flash closed his eyes tightly together, while his head was lowered. This was it – he'd done what he could, but if Batman didn't accept it then there was nothing he could do. Even if Wally really couldn't care less what anyone else (except for his own family maybe) would mean of his relationship with Dick, he knew said Boy Wonder would mind if his mentor disapproved. Dick was Robin and Robin was loyal to Batman no matter the situation. That was how truehearted the younger boy was.

Even if it meant heartbreak, Dick would listen to him, frustrating as it was.

"Kid Flash, follow me."

The red haired boy turned his head abruptly to the side and blinked. Batman was heading for the exit of their HQ. Confused and actually quite baffled, Wally hesitatingly followed. The fact that Batman hadn't downright told him 'no' had to be a positive sign. Or so the speedster hoped as he walked behind the Bat out of Mount Justice.

* * *

**°‡°**

**Gotham City, 2011  
June 25, 22:43 EDT**

Dick looked up at the ceiling with a frown on his face. It was dark in his bedroom, like it commonly was, and therefore his sunglasses lay on his nightstand, untouched since his daily workout. He had folded his arms behind his head and despite how he would be fully relaxed and content of this time of hour, he felt rather confused and a little grumpy. Something rather peculiar had happened today – something out of the ordinary.

Batman had told him that he would be the one to pick him up and he was certain his mentor had been inside of Mount Justice as well, so why had Alfred been the one who appeared with a limo and brought him back to Wayne manor? It surely didn't make any sense whatsoever. Of course, his guardian was _The Batman_, meaning that anything could have come up. An official League mission would have been reason enough for Bruce's absence.

Sighing loudly, Dick rolled to his side and glared into the darkness. He didn't know why he felt upset, but he suspected it was because it had been five days and he hadn't talked to Kid Flash at all, except for when they were on missions and as they'd both promised to themselves no personal relationship was ever mentioned while at work. Therefore, he had _technically_ not spoken to Wally West since the day they went to the amusement park with the rest of the team.

If Dick had to be honest, he was probably feeling quite anxious and nervous at the same time. After all, Wally had promised to speak to his mentor. In fact, the older male _had_ been absent for a day or two. If the Boy Wonder had not known for a fact that it was because the Flashes had a mission together, as well as the fact that Wally needed to attend some dinner party of sorts, Wally was absent – then he would have had his suspicious that it was his mentor who was to blame.

Luckily, Batman was definitely not the reason for Wally being away for those two days.

Dick threw a look over at his phone and bit his lip. Should he call his best friend? It wouldn't hurt – just hearing Wally's voice would probably make him feel better. Then again, hearing the speedsters voice could cause something rather… not only friendship like to come out. Grudgingly, he remembered that his _dad_ was quite good at supervising his every move. He already knew of the cameras the whole manor had and if they didn't find anything odd about any talk with Wally, then he probably had something on his phone that recorded whatever was said.

Sometimes, Batman was just too much. Then again, that was probably what had kept him alive through his years of fighting crime.

His hand was about to grasp the rather expensive phone, but was interrupted when the door to his room was opened and Alfred came into view. He sent the young boy a smile as Dick sat up.

"You have a visitor, Master Richard," the butler announced. "And surprisingly, Master Bruce has allowed him inside."

Him. Batman had allowed someone (Dick's _male visitor)_ _inside_ the manor. That was certainly new.

Quickly, the Boy Wonder practically leaped out of bed and raced through the hallway. He knew Alfred wouldn't have appreciated a 'fine young man' like himself to act this way, but he was too surprised and excited about this to care.

Could this mean…? Had Wally really...?

The answer to that was practically thrown at him when he crashed into a firm chest once he reached the rather big living room. Due to his reflexes (and a hand that reached out and grabbed his waist), he didn't fall to the ground. Instead dark-blue eyes stared straight into emerald green. Robin would have recognised those eyes anywhere.

"W-Wally? Dude, you're really here." Dick said, obviously surprised.

Kid Flash sent him something that looked like a _really_ tired grin and nodded. "Yeah. I'm allowed inside now. That's good, right?"

Robin felt a very unique kind of happiness spread through his body and for a moment he was really tempted to reach out and bring the other boy into a deep, passionate kiss. However, they were interrupted by someone clearing their throat.

Batman sent the redhead a warning look, causing Wally to remove his arms. Dick wanted to groan, but instead he sent his guardian a scowl and stepped a bit away. The Boy Wonder took a good look at his best friend. Wally was wearing some of his normal attire – consisting of dark jeans, a white T-shirt, yellow jacket and black sneakers. However, his clothes had many cuts and rifts, for not to mention that the boy's face held a couple of scratches as well.

It was also quite obvious that Kid Flash was rather sore. His muscles actually _looked_ tense and stiff.

"I've given him permission to take you out," Batman suddenly informed the two teens, though his eyes rested purely and intensely on Wally who still (after going through _all_ of those _tests_) felt rather uneasy whenever they were directed toward him. "However, he is to bring you home the exact time I tell him to or _before_. Never later. Also, hands above the waist – until further notice."

The Dark Knight then left the room silently, though he did throw a last warning glance at Wally, before his departure.

Dick was standing there dumbfounded. The words: 'permission', 'him' and 'take out' had never been uttered in the same sentence from his adoptive father. It was a miracle and even more importantly it was fantastic. He was allowed to date Wally. The speedster (who definitely wasn't a strategist of any sort) had been able to, somehow, convince _Batman_ to let him take his protégé and beloved (this word probably only used in Batman's own head) son _out on a date_.

"Don't look so surprised. I wasn't worried. I knew I could do this, dude; no sweat!" Wally lied, while scratching the back of his neck. It felt good to talk like he usually did again. Around Batman that hadn't really been something he dared to do.

Those gorgeous blue eyes turned to look at him again, before Dick laughed. He then flung his arms around the taller male's neck and hugged him tightly. "You, dude, are amazing! How the _hell_ did you _do_ that?"

"A lot of running, tests and… the right words, I guess." Wally answered exhausted.

Robin pulled away from the speedster and sighed. "He didn't traumatise you too much, did he? Because I swear I'll-"

"Nah, it was all right. I got you didn't I?" Wally said, interrupting Dick.

And Mister Flirty puss was back. It made Robin want to laugh even more.

However, the Boy Wonder suppressed his laugh and instead brought the boy he could proudly say he was dating into a kiss. Wally closed his eyes, happily ready to take part in it, but unfortunately the boys were interrupted.

"Mouths. Off."

The energetic teen quickly pulled away from Dick, visibly wincing. All right, so kissing the younger in his own home – not a good idea. Especially not when _daddy dearest _could hide in the shadows, ready to chop his tongue (or other parts of his anatomy that he highly appreciated thank you) off.

Dick, sensing the other's distress, snickered. He then leaned up against Wally's ear and served it a kiss. "Don't worry," he whispered. "We definitely won't be here the next time we meet."

Wally smiled contented and hugged the smaller boy close to himself. Dick returned the embrace gladly and closed his eyes, taking in the feeling of finally knowing his guardian and mentor approved (somewhat at least) of his relationship with the young speedster. Of course, Dick knew he had a long talk to endure as soon as Wally left, but right now, he supposed it was all worth it.

"Hands. Above. The waist."

The Boy Wonder sighed while rolling his eyes. This was a start at least.

* * *

******_Check Out the Sequel:_**_ "Suitable"!_


End file.
